Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for U.S. support amid his country’s ongoing war with terror group Hamas in an address to a joint session of U.S. Congress on July 24.
“America and Israel must stand together,” said Mr. Netanyahu. “When we stand together something really great happens: we win, they lose.”
The Israeli prime minister thanked President Joe Biden for the support he’s shown so far to Israel.
“President Biden and I have known each other for over 40 years. I want to thank him for half a century of friendship to Israel, and for being, as he says, ‘A proud Zionist’—actually he says, ‘A proud Irish-American Zionist,’” Mr. Netanyahu said.
The Israeli leader used the opening minutes of his remarks to recount the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks across several southern Israeli communities. He also took the time to highlight the experiences of Israeli soldiers who responded to the attacks and have fought in the Gaza Strip in the ensuing conflict.
In one example, he shared the story of a soldier who immigrated to Israel from Ethiopia and was among those to respond.
“He put on his uniform, grabbed his rifle, but he didn’t have a car,” Mr. Netanyahu said. “So he ran eight miles to the frontlines of Gaza to defend his people.”
Moments later, he recounted the story of another soldier who died four weeks into the war, after he set off a booby trap while searching a tunnel shaft.
The Israeli leader’s visit comes at a dynamic moment, amid signs of a burgeoning Gaza peace plan and shakeups in the U.S. presidential race.
On July 19, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced an Israel–Hamas cease-fire deal was “in the 10-yard line” of completion. Two days later, President Biden suspended his 2024 reelection campaign.
President Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to take his place at the top of the Democratic presidential ticket, and she has been taking on the new campaign role this week amid the Israeli leader’s visit. Ms. Harris departed Washington on Wednesday morning, missing Mr. Netanyahu’s congressional address to address a Zeta Phi Beta Sorority event in Indiana, emphasizing a range of Biden administration policies.
An aide to the vice president told The Epoch Times in an email that Ms. Harris has had an “unwavering commitment to the security of Israel” throughout her political career and her absence at Mr. Netanyahu’s address “should not be interpreted as a change in her position with regard to Israel.”
President Biden plans to meet with the Israeli prime minister on July 25. Ms. Harris plans to meet with Mr. Netanyahu in a separate July 25 meeting.
Former President Donald Trump also plans to meet with Mr. Netanyahu on July 26.
Republican congressional leaders generally regarded his visit and its significance as positive. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Mr. Netanyahu’s speech before Congress is “critical” as Israel “fights a just war for its survival, and eight American hostages remain in captivity.”
“Our two nations must continue to stand together to bring our hostages home safely and send a clear message of unity to our common enemies,” Mr. Johnson said in a Wednesday press statement.
Meanwhile, some Democrats and independents have been more critical of the Israeli prime minister’s visit. Dozens of congressional Democrats were noticeably absent after announcing publicly that they would not be attending the speech in protest of the prime minister’s handling of the war.
Thousands of pro-Palestinian activists gathered in the streets outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday for a rally calling for a cease-fire and for the Israeli prime minister to be arrested for alleged war crimes.
Capitol Police announced extra officers would be stationed around the Capitol for the address. They also blocked off several streets around the Capitol on Wednesday.
During his speech, Mr. Netanyahu accused many protesters of siding with Hamas and “with rapists and murderers.”
The Israeli leader also defended his country’s conduct in the ongoing conflict. He noted an assessment, by urban warfare researcher and retired U.S. Army officer John Spencer, that Israeli forces have implemented more precautions to prevent civilian harm in the current Gaza conflict than any military in history, and taken greater precautions than international law requires.
Mr. Netanyahu made his case for additional U.S. support to end the conflict and defeat Hamas.
“Give us the tools faster; we will finish the job faster,” he said.
Earlier this spring, the Biden administration said it had halted delivery of certain “high-payload” munitions to Israel, as it raised concerns about civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli prime minister did not appear to make any specific reference during his speech to the ongoing peace negotiations touted by the Biden administration in recent days. Rather, he reiterated his wartime goal to eliminate Hamas.
“Israel will fight until we destroy Hamas’ military capabilities and its rule in Gaza and bring all our hostages home. That’s what total victory means and we will settle for nothing less,” he said.
He said his post-war vision is one of a “demilitarized and deradicalized” Gaza Strip. While the Israeli leader insisted his country does not seek to resettle the territory, it “must retain overriding security control there” for the “foreseeable future” to prevent a resurgence of threats to his country.
As he continued to describe his post-war vision, Mr. Netanyahu pointed to the Abraham Accords advanced by the Trump administration, which entailed diplomatic normalization agreements between Israel and its neighboring states. The Israeli prime minister thanked former President Donald Trump for his work on “the historic Abraham Accords,” recognizing Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, and for moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem during his administration.
Speaking to The Epoch Times following the address, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Mr. Netanyahu delivered “an epic speech” that conveyed a vision “that I think is the only way to defeat Hamas.”
Mr. Graham said he hoped viewers paid particular attention to the portions of the speech in which the Israeli leader described his post-war vision.
“Israel is fighting our fight right now. And I wish a lot of people on the other side of the aisle realized that,” Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) told The Epoch Times following the address. “They’re sending their children into harm’s way to protect America. That’s what they’re doing. And people need to hear that.”
Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) said “there is no question Hamas has to be removed from power. I agree with that, but I don’t agree that anyone who is protesting their strategy on war in Michigan are people who support Hamas.”
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said he felt Mr. Netanyahu’s speech entailed a lot of “war-sloganeering, and not much thoughtful, detailed explanation of how he’s going to keep Israel safe in the long run.”
This Associated Press and Joseph Lord contributed to this report.
From The Epoch Times